Publications

Books

Milbank, Caroline Rennolds,
New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style,
New York, 1989.

Stegemeyer, Anne,
Who's Who in Fashion, Third Edition,
New York, 1996.

*

Over a lifetime of designing I've evolved a philosophy that comes
from creating clothes for a particular kind of American woman. (Who, by
the way, I very much admire.) This woman is adventurous and vital with a
lifestyle that demands she play many different roles throughout the day.
It's the confident spirit of this kind of woman that inspires me
most.

Whatever she's doing, running a home, a career, entertaining,
mothering, traveling, I deeply believe this woman remains an individual.
No one is going to tell her exactly what she has to wear, no matter
what's currently in style. She wants and needs high style, high
quality, fashion-conscious clothes that can last for more than one
season…. And because I think I have an exceptional ability to
anticipate trends, my clothes always have a "today"
spirit. I'm constantly refining, improving,
interpreting…trying to capture the essence of the times without
being trendy. But from whatever source my ideas come from, I always keep
in mind that lively, energetic, smart looking woman who is my customer.
She's my motivation and my ultimate inspiration.

—Herbert Kasper

***

Herbert Kasper has made his name as a designer by working predominantly
for one company, Joan Leslie in New York, whom he joined in 1963. In
1980 he became vice president of the company as well as designer,
creating high fashion looks that reflected trends but were commercial
and wearable. A private customer, Joanne Carson (then the wife of
talk-show host Johnny) described his clothes as being both feminine and
sexy: "He's got a totally female concept," she
enthused, adding that he knew how to put together the perfect
interchangeable wardrobe for her various excursions abroad.

Kasper is a designer who really cares about his customer. He wants the
person who buys a dress to enjoy it and return for more. His
satisfaction comes from seeing a woman look and feel good in his
clothes. His reputation has always been that of a respectable craftsman
who honors all levels of production involved in creating fashion, from
design to manufacture.

After military service in World War II, where he designed costumes for
the troupe shows in which he took part as a chorus boy, Kasper enrolled
at Parsons School of Design in New York. He then spent two years in
Paris perfecting his skills, with a short period at l'École
de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, Paris, and positions at Jacques
Fath and Marcel Rochas. Returning to the U.S., he worked for the
milliner Mr. Fred, where his reputation grew. In his next position as
dress designer for a company called Penart, Lord & Taylor in New
York—which was promoting American designers—said they
wanted to feature his work. Kasper's designs were then featured
as Kasper of Penart. His talent was for making inexpensive clothes look
exquisite and expensive, which endeared him to several other Seventh
Avenue manufacturers in the 1950s.

Kasper's forte has always been dresses, but a designer's
job involves adapting to the demands of the market and in the early
1970s he opened a sportswear division for Joan Leslie, J.L. Sport. Part
of his fashion philosophy has been that clothes should always work
together, so he often found it difficult to differentiate between these
two lines when designing. A coat for Joan Leslie Dresses, he once
declared, could work equally well with the less expensive separates line
for J.L. Sport.

While working in Paris, Kasper noted that women spent a great deal of
money on custom-made clothes, ordering several outfits for different
occasions. He formed a philosophy based on these observations that
individual garments should be mixed and matched with many others to
create several outfits, a sportswear concept that has become a way of
life in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Kasper has always been a great socialite. His social life inspired his
work because it gave him an insight into how people live, their
attitudes, and changing tastes. As a designer he is happy with his work,
regarding each creation as one of his own children, which in a way
justifies his devotion to his craft.

—Kevin Almond

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